Van RijnDutch Means "from the Rhine", the second-longest river in central and western Europe (after the Danube). This was the surname of the Dutch Baroque painter Rembrandt Harmenszoon van Rijn (1606-1669), usually known simply as Rembrandt.
Van WertDutch (Americanized, Archaic), Flemish Habitational name for someone from places in Belgium and the Netherlands called Weert, (De) Weerd, Weerde, or Waarde, all derived from Middle Dutch wert "holm, area surrounded by rivers".
VarnellEnglish Variant of Farnell. This form originated in southwestern England, where the change from F to V arose from the voicing of F that was characteristic of this area in Middle English.
VasaOld Swedish, Swedish (Archaic) Swedish noble and former royal family. Possibly from vase meaning "bundle" or "withy". The name is believed to be a reference to the family's coat of arms. The most notable member of the family was Gustav Eriksson Vasa (1496-1560), later known as Gustav I of Sweden (in modern times known exclusively as Gustav Vasa)... [more]
VascoSpanish Originally denoted a Basque person or someone from the Basque Country in Spain, from Latin Vascones of uncertain etymology.
VasseurFrench From Old French vavasour meaning "subvassal", a historical term used to refer to a tenant of a baron or lord who also had tenants under him.
VecchioItalian Means "old, aged" in Italian, originally used as a nickname for an older or oldest son or for someone who was prematurely grey or wrinkled.
VermontFrench (Rare) Derived from french, meaning "green mountain" (Vert, "green"; mont, "mountain").
VerneyEnglish, French The surname Verney was first found in Buckinghamshire, England, when they arrived from Vernai, a parish in the arrondissement of Bayeux in Normandy.
ViengxayLao From Lao ວຽງ (vieng) meaning "town, city" and ໄຊ (xay) meaning "victory".
VienneauFrench Denoted a person from Vienne, a commune in the Isère department, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in southeastern France, or perhaps derived from the given name Vivien 1.
VierlingGerman Derived from Middle High German vierlinc meaning "one-fourth of a measure", hence a status name or nickname for someone who had an annual tax liability of this amount.
VirayFilipino, Tagalog, Pampangan, Pangasinan Occupational name derived from Tagalog, Pampangan and Pangasinan biray referring to a type of small, flat-bottomed rowing boat.
VoinovRussian Derived from the word "voin," which means "warrior" or "soldier" in English. It is a common surname among Russian families and may have originally been used to denote someone who worked as a soldier or was associated with the military in some way.
VreelandDutch Habitational name for a person from a place bearing the same name in the province of Utrecht, which is itself derived from the Middle Dutch word vrede, meaning "peace; legal protection against armed violence".
VreeswijkDutch Habitational name from a former village and municipality in the province Utrecht, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch Frieso "Frisian" and wic "village, town"... [more]
VtorakUkrainian, Russian Derived either from Russian второй (vtoroy) meaning "second, other" or directly from dialectal Ukrainian вторак (vtorak) meaning "secondborn".
WadsworthEnglish Location name from Yorkshire meaning "Wæddi's enclosure or settlement" with Wæddi being an old English personal name of unknown meaning plus the location element -worth. Notable bearer is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) for whom the middle name was his mother's maiden name.
WakehamEnglish, Cornish A locational surname for someone who lived in one of three places called Wakeham in various parts of England, including Cornwall and/or Devon.
WakiJapanese Wa means "harmony" and ki means "tree, wood".
WaldmannGerman topographic name for someone who lived in a forest or alternatively an occupational name for a forest warden from Middle High German waltman literally "forest man" derived from the elements wald "forest" and man "man"
WaldronMedieval German, Old Norman, Scottish Gaelic, English (British) Derived from the German compound wala-hran, literally "wall raven", but originally meaning "strong bird". Also derived from the Gaelic wealdærn, meaning "forest dwelling", thought to be derived from the Sussex village of Waldron... [more]
WallenEnglish Originated from the Old English words "waellan" or "weallan," which mean "to boil" or "to bubble." It is thought that the name may have been used to describe someone who lived near a boiling spring or a bubbling brook.
WallingAnglo-Norman From the Anglo-Norman personal name Walweyn, the Old German forename Waldwin, or the Old English personal name Wealdwine, which means "power-friend".
WalpoleEnglish Originally indicated a person from either of two places by this name in Norfolk and Suffolk (see Walpole). Famous bearers of the surname include Robert Walpole (1676-1745), the first Prime Minister of Great Britain, and his youngest son, the writer Horace Walpole (1717-1797)... [more]
WannellEnglish English surname which was derived from a medieval nickname, from Middle English wann "wan, pale" (see Wann) and a diminutive suffix.... [more]
WardenEnglish Occupational name for a watchman or guard, from Old French wardein meaning "protector, guard". It was also used as a habbitational name for someone from any of the various locations in England named Warden... [more]
WeddellScottish Derived from Wedale, the original name of the parish of Stow in Scotland. A famous bearer is James Weddell, a Scottish navigator and seal hunter who sailed a record 7.69 degrees south of the Antarctic Circle... [more]
WeekuskCree Weekusk ( last name ) meaning “Sweetgrass” in cree.... [more]
WeinsteinJewish Means "wine stone" from German wein meaning "wine" and stein meaning "stone". It originally referred to the potassium bitartrate crystals produced from the process of fermenting grape juice.
WeinstockGerman, Jewish English variant of the German surname Wenstock, an occupational name for a producer or seller of wine, from German Weinstock "grapevine" (also compare Wein).... [more]
WeishuhnGerman Derived from Middle High German wiz meaning "white" and huon meaning "hen, fowl", hence a metonymic occupational name for a poultry farmer or dealer, or perhaps in some instances a nickname.
WellandEnglish (British, Rare) From the name of the place, derived from Old English wig - war and landa - territory, land.
WellmanEnglish From German Welle meaning "wave" and man, meaning "man", referring to someone who lived by a stream.
WestlingSwedish Combination of Swedish väst "west" and the common surname suffix -ling. A notable bearer is Prince Daniel (b. 1973), husband of Crown Princess Victoria of Sweden.
WhaleyEnglish From the name of the village of Whaley and the town of Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, or the village of Whalley in Lancashire, England. It is derived from Old English wælla meaning "spring, stream" and leah meaning "woodland clearing".
WhalleyEnglish Variant form of Whaley. A famous bearer is the English actress Joanne Whalley (1961-).
WhatelyEnglish Old English location or occupational surname meaning "from the wheat meadow".
WheelwrightEnglish Occupational name for someone who made or fitted wheels and wheeled vehicles, from Old English hwēol and wyrhta. Also compare Wheeler.
WhippetEnglish Possibly used as a nickname from the early 17th century English word whippet, meaning "to move briskly". A type of sighthound bears this name.
WhitbyEnglish English surname which was from either of two place names, that of a port in North Yorkshire (which comes from the Old Norse elements hvítr "white" (or Hvíti, a byname derived from it) combined with býr "farm") or a place in Cheshire (from Old English hwit "white" (i.e., "stone-built") and burh "fortress").
WhitehornScottish A locational name from Whithorn near Wigtown, from Old English hwit "white" and ærn "house".
WhitleyEnglish This surname is derived from a place name composed of Old English elements hwit meaning "white" and leah meaning "clearing, grove."
WibergSwedish Combination of Old Norse víðr "forest, wood" (probably taken from a place name) and Swedish berg "mountain".
WidmanSwedish Meaning uncertain. Perhaps a combination of Old Swedish viþr "wood, forest" or vid "wide" and man "man". It is also possible, though less likely, that it is a re-spelling of Vikman, where the first element is Swedish vik "bay".
WilburnEnglish A habitation name of uncertain origin found in the East Midlands. Speculation includes the possibility of the meaning "well" and "burn, borne" therefore meaning one who lived near a well or spring by a waterway crossing.
WilgarIrish An ancient surname of Olde English and Scottish origins. It is usually occupational for a textile fuller, deriving from the pre 7th century word wealcere, meaning to walk or tread.
WilletsEnglish Occasionally a Habitational name from Willet in Elworthy. Probably a compound of Old English wiell will 'spring' + an unrecorded gīete 'stream'.(Ancestory.com) Or is a varation of the given name William.
WillmanEnglish Occupational name for someone who was the servant of a man called Will.
WinsteadEnglish Perhaps derived from the town of Wanstead in Greater London, England (recorded in the Domesday Book as Wenesteda), named with Old English wænn meaning "wagon" and stede meaning "place, site", but it is more likely derived from the village of Winestead in East Yorkshire, England, named from Old English wefa meaning "wife" and hamstede meaning "homestead"... [more]
WitlyEnglish Variant of Whitley, a habitational name from any of various places named with Old English hwit ‘white’ + leah ‘wood’, ‘clearing’.
WitteGerman, Dutch, English Cognate to and variant of White, a nickname for someone with white or blonde hair or an unusually pale complexion
WittmanGerman Wittman was first found in the Palatinate in the Rhineland valley. The surname Wittman was given to someone who lived in the area that was referred to as widem which was originally derived from the German word denoting church property.
WongchaiThai From Thai วงศ์ (wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and ไชย (chai) meaning "victory".
WongkaeoThai From Thai วงศ์ or วงษ์ (wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and แก้ว (kaeo) meaning "crystal, glass, diamond".
WongkhamThai From Thai วงศ์ (wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and คำ (kham) meaning "gold".
WongyaiThai From Thai วงศ์ (wong) meaning "lineage, family, dynasty" and ใหญ่ (yai) meaning "big, large, great".
WoodbineEnglish (Rare) From the English word "woodbine" that means "honeysuckle(plant)"in English.It seems uncommon in the English-speak culture for a surname.Also some American place names,too.
WoodnutEnglish From a rare Anglo-Saxon personal name meaning "bold as Wade" and meant to honor the legendary Germanic sea-giant named Wade.
WoodsonEnglish From a location in Yorkshire, England earlier spelled Woodsome and meaning "from the houses in the wood" or possibly a patronymic meaning "descendant of a wood cutter or forester."
WoolleyEnglish A habitational name from any of various places so-called. Most, including those in Berkshire, Cambridgeshire, and West Yorkshire in England, are derived from the Old English wulf, meaning "wolf", and leah, meaning "wood" or "clearing"... [more]
WorkmanEnglish Ostensibly an occupational name for a laborer, derived from Middle English work and man. According to a gloss, the term was used in the Middle Ages to denote an ambidextrous person, and the surname may also be a nickname in this sense.
WriothesleyEnglish (British) Name is of unknown origin, deriving from older Wrotteslega, who were a family that held estates in Staffordshire in the late 1100s. Possibly a combination of wrot "snout" and leah "meadow, cleaning", suggesting it's origin as a pig farm.
WursterGerman Derived from German Wurst (Middle High German wurst) "sausage" and thus either denoted a butcher who specialized in the production of sausages, or was used as a nickname for a plump person or someone who was particularly fond of sausages.
WyethEnglish May come either from the Old English word "withig" meaning "willow" or from Guyat, a pet form of the Old French given name Guy. Probably unrelated to Wyatt.
XūwángChinese A Chinese surname taken from combining 須 (xū) meaning "must, necessary" with 王 (wáng) meaning "king, monarch". It is the Chinese reading of the Japanese surname Suō.
YabeJapanese From the Japanese 矢 (ya) "arrow" and 部 (be) "region," "division," "part."
YabsleyEnglish It is believed to be a derived spelling of Abboldesi, a place now more commonly known as Abbotsley or Abbotsleigh. However, the original surname had nothing to do with "Abbots" in any spelling, and derives from to the Olde English pre 7th Century personal name "Eadbeald" meaning "Prosperity-bold".
YabuJapanese Possibly from 薮 (yabu) meaning "thicket, bush, underbrush, grove".
YardleyEnglish Habitational name for someone from any of the various locations in England named Yardley, derived from Old English gierd meaning "branch, twig, pole, stick" and leah meaning "wood, clearing".
YelleyEnglish (British) The surname Yelley was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed... [more]
YelnatsLiterature Invented by Louis Sacher for his novel "Holes". The name was created because it is Stanley spelled backwards. Stanley Yelnats IV is the main character in the novel.
YeltsinmRussian Possibly from Russian word ель (jel') meaning "spruce, fir" and the relational suffix -ин (-in).
YeterTurkish Means "enough, sufficient" in Turkish.
YetimTurkish Means "orphan" in Turkish, ultimately from Arabic يتيم (yatim).
YezhovmRussian Derived from Russian word "ёж (yozh)" meaning hedgehog. Yezhov was the last name of Nikolay Yezhov, the leader of the Soviet NKVD from 1936-38 who is known for Yezhovshchina.
YoheMedieval English The Yohe surname comes from the Old English word "ea," or "yo," in Somerset and Devon dialects, which meant "river" or "stream." It was likely originally a topographic name for someone who lived near a stream.
YolcuTurkish Means "passenger, traveller" in Turkish.
YoldaşTurkish Means "traveling companion" in Turkish.
YomtovHebrew (Modern) Means "good day", derived from Hebrew יום (yom) means "day" and טוב (tov) means "good".